EYES ON: Wade. He was one of only four players in the NBA to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists last season (James, Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook were the others). But knee problems in the playoffs raised questions about whether his game is declining, and Wade says one of his goals coming into this season is to silence doubters again.

OUTLOOK: James won his fourth MVP award last season and says he got better again this summer. That alone should make the Heat the undisputed favorites, even with a vastly improved Eastern Conference awaiting them. And the Heat says the looming summer-of-2014 contract decisions for James, Wade, Bosh and others won’t affect anything this season, though if that changes, the quest for a third consecutive title will surely become more difficult.

EYES ON: Guards Lou Williams and Dennis Schroder. Williams is returning from reconstructive surgery on his right knee in February and if healthy could be an important scoring boost. He was averaging 14.1 points through 39 games, including nine starts. Schroder is a rookie first-round pick from Germany who could be a surprise.

OUTLOOK: Horford and Teague are key returning players on a new-look roster in general manager Danny Ferry’s second season, his first with Budenholzer, the former longtime Spurs assistant. Millsap should help make up for the loss of Smith’s scoring and rebounding, but once again Horford will spend most of his minutes at center when he wishes he could play power forward. It might be difficult to match last season’s sixth seed or even remain in playoff hunt.

COACH: Randy Wittman, third season with Wizards, eighth season overall, 147-291.

EYES ON: Wall. He never has been an All-Star. He never has played in a playoff game. He has been hampered by injuries. Yet the Wizards nevertheless went all-in on their 2010 No. 1 pick, signing him to a max deal worth about $80 million over five years. He and two No. 3s — Beal and Porter — represent a future that is supposed to include a return to the playoffs this season. If not, look for changes: general manager Ernie Grunfeld and Wittman are in the final seasons of their contracts.

OUTLOOK: Break-even would a mighty accomplishment for the Wizards, who haven’t come anywhere close to .500 in the last five seasons. To get there, Wall has to stay healthy and show he’s worth his money.

EYES ON: Jefferson. He gives the Bobcats a proven low-post scorer they have not had before and has the potential to make them somewhat competitive. Should draw some double-teams, which would free up shooters Henderson and Ben Gordon. Management is expecting a breakout season from Henderson with Jefferson on board.

OUTLOOK: The Bobcats have the worst record in the league over the last two years (28-120) but should be better. Not a playoff contender, but better. Management is hoping its young core — Walker, Henderson, Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeffrey Taylor and Bismack Biyombo — takes the next step and begins to develop. Clifford’s biggest concern is the team’s overall rebounding.

EYES ON: Oladipo. The Indiana University product is certainly a player that the Magic plan to rebuild around and expect to be part of their long-term plans. He showed his ability as a scorer in college, but will be called on to learn the point guard position as well. Oladipo also won’t have a great deal of pressure on him this year on a roster that skews young.

OUTLOOK: This is the second season of a rebuilding effort by the Magic front office, so the team isn’t expecting to make a playoff push this year. The focus is on developing Oladipo, Vucevic, Harkless and Harris. The latter three showed flashes of potential All-Star ability. The Magic also has several protected draft picks in the coming years and are hoping that potential will pacify a fan base to remain patient.

It’s third-and-1 at the Chiefs 14-yard line and the Raiders running game was doing well. Instead, Raiders threw incomplete, were pushed back by a penalty and then threw incomplete again in 21-13 defeat.